EIT Food Accelerator Network

EIT Food Accelerator Network alumnus Vytal Global secures €14.2 Million growth funding?to scale tech-driven reusable packaging and cement global market leadership. The recent investment was led by Inven Capital, a growth capital fund specialising in scaling climate tech companies globally, alongside NRW.Venture, the venture capital fund of NRW.BANK. Both are joining Vytal’s strong investor base, which includes Emerald Technology Ventures, GRAZIA EQUITY, Kiko, Rubio Impact Ventures and Chi Impact Capital. “This new funding comes less than nine months after our last raise and reflects an incredibly successful 2024 for the Vytal team. With Inven Capital’s expertise in supporting international growth strategies, we are well-positioned to scale our impact further and make tech-enabled reusable packaging the new standard in gastronomy, events, and entertainment globally.” - Dr. Tim Breker, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Vytal Global. ? Vytal’s smart reusable packaging solutions outperform single-use on cost and value, leveraging data and innovation to maximise resource efficiency and drive the Circular Economy. Over the past year, Vytal has more than doubled its revenue and expanded internationally, adding franchise partners in Albania, Greece, the UAE, and South Africa. The company also launched a dedicated business serving global consumer brands, as well as the event and entertainment industry, securing high-profile clients such as Pepsi, UEFA EURO 2024, Fanzones, HYROX, and Live Nation’s Insomniac Festival Group. The new funding will enhance Vytal’s technology-driven solutions, making reusable packaging even more seamless and cost-efficient for businesses and consumers. It will also unlock new economic benefits through brand partnerships and consumer engagement. A significant portion of the funds will drive Vytal’s US expansion while reinforcing its leadership position in Europe. Vytal Global has rapidly grown into the most comprehensive digital reusable packaging network, licensing its technology platform and running?wholly owned subsidiaries across Europe and beyond. In just five years, the company has established itself as a leader in driving the transition away from single-use packaging, offering an innovative, scalable, and cost-effective alternative for businesses across the food, beverage, and event industries. Congratulations?to Fabian Barthel, Dr. Josephine Kreische, Dr. Tim Breker and the entire team, as global regulations increasingly restrict single-use packaging, it is great to see how Vytal's smart, data-driven approach positions the company at the forefront of a rapidly growing market.?

EIT Food Accelerator Network alumnus Cano-ela has raised €1.6 million to accelerate the development of ingredients from seeds. Existing investor OostNL and new investors Value Factory Ventures and Ecoseed were participating in this funding round.?Their joint commitment to sustainability and innovation aligns perfectly with Cano-ela's mission to create impact through food solutions. With the new funding, the FoodTech startup Cano-ela?will be able to scale up its production process and move closer to commercial launch. The investment will allow the team to develop a proof-of-concept, advance its R&D, and pioneer the development of three innovative ingredients derived from rapeseed (canola seeds) - cano-cream, cano-soluble and cano-fibre. These new natural?ingredients will enhance the taste, texture and nutritional profile of foods and alternative proteins, decrease food waste, and replace synthetic emulsifiers, stabilisers, and texturisers, offering a clean-label and sustainable alternative for food producers. “We are entering an exciting phase as we prepare to bring our innovative ingredients to the?market. This investment enables us to upgrade our pilot facility, increase production capacity, and accelerate collaborations with food producers who seek high-quality, plant-based and sustainable ingredient solutions.” - Juliana Romero Guzmán, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO at Cano-ela Congratulations?to Juliana Romero Guzmán, Ph.D., Alberto Masetti Niccolai, Franco Vietti, Benjamin Maclean, Corben van de Pol, Anna Kousoula, Alessia Di Giacomo, Grazia Mariani, Cécilia FERRON, Camilla Tommasini, Mitja ?u?ek, Beatrice Marenghi and everyone involved for achieving this great milestone and for transforming underutilised overlooked nutrients into high-value sustainable ingredients. #foodsystemtransformation #agrifoodtechinnovation #startupacceleration

We are delighted to see EIT Food Accelerator Network alumna Nathalie Berezina, CEO of Norbite, being interviewed by?Alternative Proteins Magazine. The article?underlines the strategic importance of?Norbite's innovation and its path to overall food sustainability.? "Norbite's disruptive approach offers a new economic reality for the end-of-life polymeric materials for which there are no viable re-use or recycling solutions to-date." Congratulations?to?Nathalie Berezina?and the entire Norbite team for transforming plastic waste into sustainable goods and valuable bioproducts like proteins and lipids, using a novel insect-based biorefinery technology. This is a perfect example of a circular economy. The article highlights how Norbite’s solutions go beyond technical and technological development and that plastic waste can only be tackled, if forward-thinking individuals and companies join forces to drive system-level change and transform our industry.

We are delighted to see that EIT Food Accelerator Network alumni GOURMEY and Uncommon and EIT Food RisingFoodStars alumnus Mosa Meat have been selected by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA)?to participate in a two-year regulatory programme focused on evaluating the safety of cell-cultivated products (CCPs). The initiative is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund and will involve collaboration with academic institutions and industry representatives. The UK Food Standards Agency programme is designed to gather scientific evidence on the production and safety of CCPs, which will inform the regulatory framework overseen by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS). The data collected will support more efficient assessments of CCP applications. “We’re accelerating the UK’s position as a global leader in sustainable food production.” - The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) The selected companies - Hoxton Farms (UK), BlueNalu (USA), Mosa Meat (Netherlands), GOURMEY (France), Roslin Technologies (UK), Uncommon (UK), VITAL MEAT (France), and Vow (Australia) were chosen to reflect a range of technologies and processes used in CCP production. In addition to engaging with these impactful companies, the programme will collaborate with the CARMA - Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub at the University of Bath, the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), and the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein - Imperial. The Alternative Proteins Association (APA) and The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI) will also participate in industry representation. We look forward to seeing the results of this government-funded collaborative programme.

EIT Food Accelerator Network alumnus Solar Foods has?received €10M in funding from Business Finland, an arm of the Finnish economic affairs ministry. The funding raised will help build Factory 02 and support R&D projects for its Solein protein to advance regulatory applications in various markets, and speed up its path to market. Solein is a protein produced by feeding microbes on carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen instead of sugar. The ingredient is not dependent on water or weather, allowing it to be produced in climates like the desert, the Arctic and even outer space. This funding is part of the company’s €600M financing programme under the EU Commission’s hydrogen-based Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). The government agency has set aside €76M to help with the construction of Factory 02, if built on European soil. The new facility is expected to be able to produce 12,800 tons of Solein protein annually?at a cost of €4.30-5.20 per kg, and generate net sales of €80-200M. “We are extremely pleased to receive this additional funding for research, product development and the pre-engineering phase of Factory 02. When realised, Factory 02 will be a unique project in terms of science, technology and climate impact.” - Pasi Vainikka, Co-Founder and CEO Solar Foods Congratulations?to Co-Founder Pasi Vainikka, Dr Juha-Pekka Pitk?nen and the entire team for achieving this key milestone and making a significant impact globally. #foodsystemtransformation #agrifoodtechinnovation #startupacceleration

??Celebrating?women?and equality today and every?day. Today is?International?Women's?Day?and EIT Food Accelerator Network would like to shine the spotlight on inspiring female leaders, whose startups and companies are taking the European #foodtech industry by a storm.? ? Innovation means change, and change is needed to improve our food system and our world, especially when it comes to #sustainability, social #equality and #diversity and living in harmony with nature and our surroundings.? ? Prominent female founders and leaders, we salute and support you, as you drive change and push the boundaries of #science to bring new broader perspectives and #innovations to traditionally male-dominated tech industries.? ? ???EIT Food and EIT Food Accelerator Network programme empower female entrepreneurs and impactful agrifood startups, helping them to accelerate and achieve the?ultimate goal: growth, credibility, exposure, recognition and a successful market adoption. ? Here are just some of?EIT Food Accelerator Network's fantastic?women that have enriched the programme and our EIT Food community over the years:?Maria Martinez (Agrodit), Isabella Iglesias-Musachio (Bosque Foods),?Juliana Romero Guzmán, Ph.D.?(Cano-ela),?Laurie Lancee?&?Jozien Boersma?(Vini Mini),?Madeleine Gielens?(Magie Creations),?Anda Penka?(Fermentful), Lucy Hughes (Marina Tex),?Farayde Matta Fakhouri?(Bio2Coat Natural Preservation Technology),?Ninna Granucci?(Green Spot Technologies),?Johanna Baare?(traceless materials), Lori Goff (Outlander Materials), Dr. Catherine Birch (AgrifoodX), Irene Simone (Zero Impack), Fran?oise de Valera Rose (Pack2Earth), Tal Govrin (Kokomodo), Dr Orna Harel (Sea2Cell), Linda Karger (Primogene GmbH), Marija Lesjak (FeJuice), Anastasia Krivoruchko (Melt&Marble), Svenja Dannewitz Prosseda (SENARA), Zoe Yu Tung Law (New Wave Biotech), Nélida Leiva Eriksson (IRONIC BIOTECH), Annija Emersone (P-Agro Minerals), Martina Drobna (NOOVI), Martha Wenzel (E-TERRY), Asli Solmaz-Kaiser (ICOMPLAI), Marlies Temme (AGRICOM), Débora Campos (AGROGRIN TECH), Anik Thaler (FABAS), Lisa Tammi (MELLO), Aneta Ozierańska (Oligofeed) and many more. These ladies are not only impacting the industry, their local and?international?communities, they are all leading by example and are great leaders and mentors for future?women?entrepreneurs and innovators. Thank you for driving change and for playing your part in the food system transformation. Find out more about EIT Food's WE Lead Food Programme?https://lnkd.in/edHHWdC,?and keep your eyes peeled, as?application?for the EWA (Empowering Women in Agrifood) 2025 programme will open soon?https://lnkd.in/dHcxzk3x! Girls Go Circular empowers the next generation of female entrepreneurs by providing free digital education, and green skills, fostering sustainability awareness, promoting equal opportunities, and closing the gender gap in STEM and innovation.

EIT Food Accelerator Network alumnus Beta Bugs Limited has secured a ￡2.1 million investment to fuel the expansion of its Black Soldier Fly Breeding Programme. The Investment led by TRICAPITAL Angels Limited alongside Scottish Enterprise?will enable Beta Bugs to further accelerate its development into an international player in Black Soldier Fly genetics. With the additional investment, the genetics team can expand, and the breeding programme can move to the next level. The investment enables the scale up of the production of eggs and juvenile larvae to supply insect farming operations.?The company is now building the capability to deliver its superior flies to black soldier fly producers and is already developing commercial relationships with the first large-scale?producers in the UK. “This funding allows us immediately to accelerate our growth on key fronts. We are investing significantly in our Breeding Programme to deliver further genetic gains with our HiPer-Fly? products. Additionally, we are increasing our production capacity to a larger scale to meet rising customer demand for our key product formats – eggs, young larvae and juvenile larvae, across the UK and European market, and we are strengthening our key team. This ensures that we continue to provide our customers with the critical, hands-on, expert advice that will help them optimise and grow their output on their scale-up journey." - Dr Thomas Farrugia, Co-Founder and CEO, Beta Bugs Based at the Roslin Institute, Easter Bush Campus – a centre of excellence for animal genetics Beta Bugs Limited was launched in Edinburgh in 2017 by CEO and founder Dr Thomas Farrugia. Congratulations?to Dr Thomas Farrugia and the entire team for achieving this key milestone and for improving the efficiency of converting waste into useful protein and oil. #foodsystemtransformation#agrifoodtechinnovation#startupacceleration

?? Big news!?EIT Food Accelerator Network alumnus Crover enters a new phase of rapid growth, gearing up for the US and preparing to launch?their fully autonomous grain-swimming robot. ??Crover's next-generation system eliminates manual operation, providing real-time data, improving efficiency, and making grain storage safer than ever.? What does this mean for the industry? ??No more dangerous manual inspections ???Automated, precise, and continuous monitoring ???Smarter grain management that reduces losses & improves margins “We’ve always been focused on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. With our upcoming autonomous system, we’re bringing efficiency and safety to an entirely new level.?This is just the beginning. We’re scaling up, refining our vision, and moving full steam ahead with a clearer brand and stronger positioning.” –?Lorenzo Conti, Founder & CEO of Crover ???And that's not all, recently Crover has been nominated for the The Earthshot Prize and with new lab & manufacturing spaces at Cornell AgriTech (Geneva, NY) and The Tech Garden (Syracuse, NY), the team is strengthening its presence in North America, providing farmers, grain operators, and cooperatives with a smarter, safer, and more efficient way to monitor and sample stored grain. Congratulations?Dr Lorenzo Conti, Corentin Chauvin-Hameau, Dr. Jon Knight, Sarah Ostberg, Gianlorenzo De Santis, Artem Lukianov, Veghell Leo Acuna, REE RME, James McGinley, Nathaniel Ball, RAHUL B PILLAI and everyone involved. #foodsystemtransformation #agrifoodtechinnovation #startupacceleration

Follow in the footsteps of last year's winner - EIT Food Accelerator Network alumnus Massimo Sabatini, Foreverland Food and finalists, which included EIT Food Accelerator Network alumni Paulo Ibri, Typcal and Itai Cohen, Gavan. Calling all EIT Food Accelerator Network alumni working on disruptive DeepTech solutions in:? ?? Longevity: Supporting healthier ageing and well-being through nutrition Glucose Management: Supporting stable and balanced blood sugar levels Immunity: Strengthening and supporting the body's natural defences ?? Weight Management: Helping consumers achieve and maintain healthy weight goals ?? Gut Health: Targeting the connection between gut health and well-being Energy: Enhancing and sustaining physical and mental energy throughout the day Apply to take part in the 2025 FoodTech World Cup (FoodHack), the ultimate tournament to showcase the world’s best startups in nutrition. This could be your chance to pitch your innovation at the next HackSummit!

??It’s a wrap!?We’ve just closed our applications for our 2025 EIT Food Accelerator Network – and wow, what a response! With hundreds?of submissions pouring in from AgriFoodTech innovators around Europe (and Horizon Europe), we’ve enlisted a pool of expert evaluators to help us pinpoint the most groundbreaking startups. ??From circular solutions?at the Helsinki Hub, food as medicine?at the Haifa Hub, resilient supply chains?at the Munich Hub, future-resilient agriculture?at the Warsaw Hub, next-gen ingredients & bioprocessing?at the Paris Hub, to sustainable packaging solutions?at the Bilbao Hub, these emerging innovations are nothing short of inspiring. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be selecting which startups make the cut for Round 2. Keep your eyes peeled for sneak peeks and updates - this is just the beginning! ?? #FoodSystemTransformation #AgriFoodInnovations #StartupEvaluation